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National effort against Alzheimer’s ramps up

January 31, 2013

The National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) legislation passed in 2011 is galvanizing U.S. efforts to combat Alzheimer’s and related dementias and to support patients and their caregivers. Under NAPA, all federal agencies involved with Alzheimer’s are working together, under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, to realize the goals set forth in the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. A Federal Advisory Council on Research, Care, and Services, made up of federal, state, local, and private sector officials and advocates, is helping guide implementation of the plan.

The national research goal aims to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s by 2025. NIA leadership and staff are involved in a number of activities to further that goal. For example, two workshops are planned for 2013 to advance our understanding of dementias.

The Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias: Research Challenges and Opportunities workshop will be held at Natcher Auditorium, NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD, on May 1-2, 2013. This workshop will address special research priorities for Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias, including frontotemporal, Lewy body, mixed, and vascular dementia. Organized by the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke in collaboration with the NIA, the workshop complements the NIA’s May 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Summit 2012: Path to Treatment and Prevention. Learn more about the workshop and register online.

The NIA and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development are planning to co-host a research workshop on Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. Once confirmed, details about the meeting will be posted on the NIA website.